Effect of irrigation scheduling using drainage water on moisture and salinity of root zone and leaf water potential of tomato [electronic resource].

Includes references.

Using low quality water in agriculture comprises many restrictions and challenges. A field experiment was carried out during 2007 summer season on a calcareous sandy clay loam soil to study the effect of drainage water stress on soil moisture and salinity distributions and leaf water potential under two irrigation systems (drip (DR) and gated-pipe (GP)). Three drainage water stress treatments (T1=100%, T2=75% and T3=50% of ETc) were applied during different growth stages of Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum, mill., cultivator 888). Results showed different soil moisture distributions under both irrigation systems down to 60 cm depth with higher soil moisture profiles under GP. The lowest residual soil moisture was obtained when T2 and T3 were applied during the harvesting stage. Salt concentration of the soil profiles increased with water application rate. Soil salinity profi1es were obviously dependent on the applied water stress treatments and irrigation system, where applying T2 and T3 during the harvesting stages resulted in the highest soil salinity profiles under GP. Conversion points of soil salinity profiles at 40 cm depth under DR represented the effective wetted sphere of the emitters under the study condition. Higher soil salinity profiles were obtained under DR. Flowering stage was the most sensitive to water stress treatments. Leaf water potential increased under T2 and T3.

Summary in Arabic.

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